11
MAHON
A Week Later
I jog—okay,I sprint—down the public dock when my inner animal senses Satine. Without her hot, steamy rock scent in the air, I know to search the water instead of the sky for signs of her. My knees hit the damp wood with a thud, and I scan the calm surface for any sign of my lady.
“How’d it go?” the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard whispers just as Satine’s familiar face forms in the waters of Lake Galen.
Even the impression of her smooth head and adorable not-really-a-nose have me wanting to plunge my face below the waves to kiss her.
But she scolded me last time I did that because I accidentally breathed in water.
“Hello, my sexy little mate!” Even though I want to boom my greeting, I manage to keep my voice to a low grumble, aware that anyone could show up on this dock that serves as a popularspace for launching fishing boats. Luckily, the water around us is empty for the moment. “How’s your day going? Did you miss me?”
“Mahon!” Satine flicks water at me and then giggles when I bite at the droplets in the air. “Stop stalling. Tell me how the interview went.”
I’m about to give her a silly response, but I stop myself. Satine loves my jokes, and I’d always rather be funny than serious. But this morning’s meeting had me anxiously pacing when we were together last night, and I discovered another benefit to finding my perfect mate. She let me be the mess I felt like at the moment, comforting and encouraging me as I fretted. I’d never thought I’d need that kind of support, and now that I have it, I love her even more.
“Good. Really, really good. I mean, Owen and I are buddies, but this is his business, you know?”
Owen MacNamara, Calder’s older brother, started a recycling company in Folk Haven. I always knew about Clean Haven, but it wasn’t until I was in Satine’s pristine inlet that I realized how important a clean lake was. Watching my mate become her liquid form before sinking into the water drove home that any pollution might harm her. I want to do my part to keep Lake Galen a safe place for her and every other mythic who finds refuge here.
“When I told him I was up for anything, he said he’d be happy to have me on the team. And that I can try a few different positions until we figure out where I fit.”
“That’s fantastic!” Satine sends up a few more flicks of water, like tiny wet fireworks. “I knew you’d be great.”
If anyone’s watching me, they probably see me grinning with a loving gaze at what they’d assume is an overactive fish.
“And what are you up to, oh monster of my wet dreams?”
Her laughter sounds like soft bubbles popping. “Wow. Applying for a job really made you horny, huh?” She tosses a few more droplets my way. “Don’t answer that. And I’ve just been drifting around. Listening to the town gossip.”
I grin, thinking of how clever my mate is to learn about the townsfolk by spying in her undine form. She knows lots more about Folk Haven than people would expect of a recluse.
“I found Levi moping on a rock,” she adds.
“Ah, lady troubles,” I say with all the wisdom I can muster. But I’d take a hefty bet I’m right.
That monster pretends he only wants to fight with Moira MacNamara when, in reality, the guy wants to make sweet, sweaty love to that selkie.
Unfortunately, she hates his guts.
Poor guy.
“That was my thought too,” my intelligent, perceptive mate agrees.
“I wish we could help out.”
Levi is Satine’s best friend. I want him to be as happy as we are.
Her watery mouth curves into a sneaky smirk. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
That triumphant tone has me half-hard. Most things about my mate turn me on, but when she wins, all I can think is how I’d like to be her prize.
“I want to make your wings flap.” Lust adds gravel to my words.
Another flick of water, this one chiding. “You have a shift at Coffee & Claws in twenty minutes.”
